Mounting an object on a surface, particularly an object that will be subject to high forces in use, such as a fin on the underside surface of a surfboard, requires balancing the need for sturdiness of the object with the physical limitations of the mounting surface. It is commonly known and practiced to have removable, interchangeable, high performance surf board fin systems used in the manufacture of traditional hard or rigid construction surfboards, boogie boards, paddle boards, race boards, hand boards and stand up paddle boards. Prior mounting systems for surfboard fins are known in which a rigid mounting receptacle (often referred to as a “fin box” or “fin mounting box”) is received in a matching recess sunken into the surface of the surfboard where a fin is to be mounted. A fin having one or more insert tabs on its lower surface is mounted on the fin box by inserting the tabs into slots formed in an upper surface of the fin box and securely fastening them therein, such as with set screws tightened into inclined screw holes communicating into the slots from the sides of the fin.
In recent years, the newly developed sport of paddleboarding has required boards longer than the typical surfboard to be used, for example, 9 to 12 feet long, in order to support the weight of a standing paddler on the board floating in water. Such extended length paddleboards are consequently heavier and more awkward for person to carry, and are often longer than the beds of sport trucks or roof-racks of sport utility vehicles. As a result, inflatable paddleboards have been developed with flexible outer skins on a honeycomb or fibrous inner structure that can be inflated under pressure to form turgid and firm outer surfaces for paddleboarding use, yet allow them to be deflated and even folded for transport or storage. However, rigid fin boxes are difficult to mount sturdily to the flexible outer skins of such inflatable paddleboards and/or have points or edges that can wear upon or penetrate the flexible outer skins when they are handled in a deflated condition. The rigid boxes are also difficult to use for mounting outer fins of a fin cluster near the edges of an inflatable board due to the curvature of the board surfaces and lesser amount of inner volume at its edges.
A new class of board construction has been developed for inflatable board equipment. The current state of the art for fins or fin clusters on inflatable boards is to make them out of semi-soft, rubber-like materials that are permanently glued onto the boards. These soft fins are very low in strength, rigidity, and quality, which are demanded for performance and functionality by users. The fins deform over time while also degrading when exposed to rough, hard surfaces like rocks or coral and cannot be readily removed and replaced to maintain a desired level of performance. The physical properties of a soft fin are also limited by the nature of the semi-soft material it is made of.
It has also become a growing trend to provide multifunctional utility and water safety equipment for a wide range of water environments, such as rescue boards and sleds, flotation mats, dinghies, towed watercraft, etc. As such equipment becomes more ubiquitous and deployable from many different platforms, often with little stowage space, the demand for inflatable equipment that can be deflated and folded for storage has increased. Mounting objects subject to high forces in use, such as handholds, tow lugs, oarlocks, rope rings, stanchions, etc., on outer surfaces of such inflatable equipment requires a mounting system that can accommodate flexible, curved and/or foldable outer surfaces, without sacrificing sturdiness, strength, resistance to wear, and long service life.